Edito

In keeping with the editorial choices made by our event since its inception, the photographers exhibited this year at the Pavillon Populaire cover a wide range of ways of using photography to document the world and explore new creative paths. The photographic images presented here have been chosen for their particular ability to show what unites, and sometimes separates, human communities, families, generations and individuals. Collective destinies and personal trajectories are today being shaken by tectonic movements on a global scale, and it is the very vocation of contemporary photography to reflect this. Yet the forms offered at Boutographies are not those of photojournalism or sociological commentary. Rather, they are the result of a state of alertness to what is barely heard, to the sensitive presence of bodies, to light and darkness. Once again this year, several of the selected photographers work regularly for major international media, which can provide them with the means to work on a 'subject' over the long term. Here, they have a complementary opportunity to exercise their eye in a more intimate way, free from the constraints of commissions and an unobtainable 'objectivity'. Because, in the background and omnipresent in any demanding photographic project, the fundamental question remains that of belief in the image, the eternal aspiration of men and women, constantly called into question and perpetually reactivated. The author-photographer is perhaps the one who is not satisfied with this power of images, and is concerned by it to the point of wanting to protect the viewer from it, to make him or her a free and responsible co-author, outside of discourse or even words, by opening up the possibility of recognising what we have in common, wherever we come from, leaning on the edge of the same abyss of enigma and mysterious expectations. There's no doubt that this is also the path that Pierre Liebaert, the guest author for Carte blanche 2024, is constantly travelling. With his series Je crois aux Nuits, he is continuing a body of work that has already been spotted and won awards at Boutographies in 2012 and 2016. As we did last year with Camilla de Maffei, this is a long-term partnership between Boutographies and photographers whose work we have been supporting since the very beginnings of their artistic careers.

The exhibition "Je crois aux Nuits" is also the subject of writing workshops, which are being continued with students from the Université Paul Valéry following discussions and meetings with the author. The artistic residency supported by the APF France handicap Occitanie (Association of Paralysed People in France) is another way of working with local cultural and social players, resulting in an exhibition by Nanda Gonzague on the first floor of the Pavillon Populaire.

Les Boutographies is not confined to the magnificent setting for photography provided by the Pavillon Populaire. The event also takes place at a number of venues across the city, hosting exhibitions in the Parallèle section (Jardin des Plantes, Maison de Heidelberg, Pierresvives, Tri Postal) as well as professional meetings (Corum balcony), prize-giving ceremonies and conferences (Musée Fabre auditorium). We look forward to welcoming you to all the spaces and all the moments of this new photographic springtime in Montpellier.

Since 2001, the Boutographies festival has become an essential part of Montpellier's artistic and cultural season.
With a resolute commitment to showcasing photographers from all over Europe, this year's exhibition is once again a fine example of sensitive, meaningful work that helps us to take a better look at our times and the world we live in.

The City of Montpellier is delighted to make the beautiful setting of the Pavillon Populaire available to the passionate team at Grain d'Image. Over the last ten years or so, the Pavillon Populaire has become a key venue for photography worldwide, renowned for the excellence of its artistic programming. It will be getting a facelift in 2025, when it will close its doors for a few months. But in the meantime, let's not deny ourselves the pleasure of discovering the magnificent selection on offer again this year at Boutographies. By questioning, each in his or her own way, more or less directly, more or less allusively, but always in depth, our belief in images, the many artists on show are reactivating the critical function of art and calling on us to be vigilant. Let's rise to the challenge.

A very fine exhibition to you all,

Michaël Delafosse
Mayor of Montpellier
President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole

Agnès Robin
Deputy Mayor responsible for culture and scientific culture "